Latest Housing Starts, Construction Employment Undermine Strong Q1 GDP

U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2020 (advanced estimate) plunged by 4.8% as the coronavirus pandemic put the economy on lockdown. The following categories made positive contributions to GDP in ascending order of their contribution to the percentage change: Housing and utilities: .08% Change in farm inventories: 0.10% Government consumption expenditures … Read more

Housing Market Review (July, 2018) – A Wobbly Edifice As Builders Break Down And Data Weaken

I saw a flicker of hope for home builders in the May Housing Market Review. Traders decided to snuff that flicker out very quickly afterward. When I wrote June’s housing market review and described a “struggling flicker,” the iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) was once again bouncing off the bottom of 2018’s trading range. … Read more

The Bottoming In Private Residential Fixed Investment Continues

This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on October 31, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Last week’s U.S. GDP print (advance estimate, revisions to come) came in slightly stronger than expected with an annualized growth rate of 2.0%. Financial markets had relatively muted reactions. The S&P … Read more